Here is another teaching story I have found in many different forms.
It's been presented as a Chinese teaching story, the characters in it
have been Socrates and Plato, sometimes there has been another
character who attempted to take the journey for the Seeker in the
story, but was told by the Teacher only the Seeker himself can find
what he seeks. What the Seeker is searching for is sometimes health,
sometimes truth, and sometimes wisdom. It really doesn't matter,
the wisdom of this story applies to anything you wish to attract,
even wealth or fame.
I'm presenting here just the basic bones of the story. There's
always a Seeker, always a Teacher, and it usually takes place near a
body of water, a lake or river or the ocean.
After a long, arduous journey, the Seeker reached the dwelling
of the Teacher. The Seeker approached the Teacher, and begged the
Teacher to show the way to wisdom (or health, or truth). The Teacher
at first refused, but the Seeker remained persistent, and the Teacher
finally relented.
The Teacher invited the Seeker into the water until they stood waist deep.
The Teacher then firmly grasped the Seeker by the neck, and firmly
thrust the Seeker's head under water.
The Seeker at first reacted calmly, expecting the Teacher to release
his hold, and explain the lesson. As the seconds crawled by, the
Seeker began to suspect perhaps the Teacher was mad. Eventually
the Seeker began to panic and began to struggle against the hold of
the Teacher.
When the Seeker was sure his lungs would burst and he was about to
die, the Teacher pulled his head above the water. The Seeker gasped
mightily for air, filling his lungs again and again.
The Teacher looked at the Seeker, and said, "When you desire wisdom
(or health, or truth) as strongly as you wanted that last breath of air,
you will find it."
